Why does my gourami hide all the time? 20 Gallon Tank

I just bought a gold gourami (I know this is a blue gourami forum but a blue and gold gourami are very similar) on Thursday this past week and all he does is hide in his log all day. He seems utterly terrified of me. If he even sees me in the room he just hides in his driftwood. What is up with this fish and why won't he get used to me? He's in a tank with 4 corydoras so I can't add anymore fish because I'm already at the limit. Ammonia nitrites and nitrates are good. How can I get him to come out and swim? It kills me because he's so beautiful. My cories are scared of me too but they will only run away if I get close to the tank. Please help?

 

Welcome to the forum. Blue and gold gouramis are more than similar - they are the same.

It takes gouramis some time to adjust. Soon it'll be claiming territory

 

Just need to give him time. Sometimes it can take months. My gold gourami was VERY skittish for a long time, and would dart and hide anytime I got close. He now greets me at the front of glass and begs for food. But if I make any sudden movements, he will run away and hide. Some are more bold, others more timid, it really depends on the personality of the individual fish.

 

Welcome to Fishlore! Gouramis definitely have their own personalities. I have a pearl gourami who is very shy as well.

 

Welcome to Fishlore:;balloons

I agree each fish is different. I have a dwarf flame gourami that is very bold since day one of adding to the tank with 1 angel and 2 bolivian rams. The gourami definitely rules the tank and comes to greet anyone who gets near.

 

Should I return him to the pet store? I hate returning live animals but it's just plain boring having a fish that won't come out of hiding... It's like he's not even there. The problem is I'm limited severely to what I can get because I have a 20 gallon with four emerald green cories in there. So really I can only afford about 6 more inches of fish. The gold gourami definitely maxed me out. I wanted a larger fish that has somewhat of a personality, kind of like an aquatic dog . What should I do? If it's been almost a week and he's still hiding, I don't think he'll be coming out anytime soon...

 

A week is nothing, Give him time, its not like he's a defective electronic or something you can just return.

 

I actually disagree with jgon. If you don't really like him, and are unsatisfied with him, then he probably belongs in a home with someone else who is going to like him better.

I got danios because I thought they were really cute. I ended up disliking their personality because they are more aggressive than I would have wanted. My LFS is going to take them back and rehome (I'm sure resell) them, and I'm going to get fish I like better. I'm not a bad person, and they aren't bad fish - we just weren't a good partnership. I'll have a tank I like and am not frustrated with, and they'll have a home where someone appreciates them, hopefully.

(Of course, if you want to keep him, give him a chance to grow on you. I'm just saying if you decide not to do that, you shouldn't feel bad about your decision.)

 

It's not you, it's me

 

okey: will you let me give my opinion without poking fun at me?

:;laughing your response made me laugh out loud. between you and shawnie, i've done that a bunch today. thanks!

 

Hi all. Thanks so much for your responses. I decided he would just get too big for my 20 gallon. I think he needs more room to make him more comfortable. I went ahead and returned him and this time I got two honey sunset gourami. They are so cute and will chase each others' tails playfully. It's adorable. They are always swimming around and seem much more comfortable.

 

I think that was a wise choice - the honey gouramis are better suited to the size of your tank.

 

Congratulations on your new additions!